How an eNodeB (eNB) or a user equipment (UE) will prioritize packets within a particular radio bearer is currently left to implementation. The third generation partnership project (3GPP) standard creates multiple radio bearers with different (traffic flow templates) TFT. One non-standard-defined implementation may be a first-in-first-out (FIFO) queue, a last-in-first-out (LIFO) queue, or another queue type. The selection among the different choices of queueing methods has an impact on end-to-end applications, as well as the proper design of external signaling. Each application's flow of packets may require different treatment for best performance of the application. Each flow may require, or benefit differently from, different fairness in prioritizations between them.
Even if a UE and an eNB perform deep packet inspection (DPI) and perfectly apply the appropriate scheme for each different incoming flow adequately, this approach will not work for non-Internet protocol (IP) traffic (for which DPI will not work), or for encrypted/virtual private network (VPN) traffic where the application headers are deliberately mangled. Moreover, the actions that the upper layers perform should depend on the queueing scheme used at the lower layers.
This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention.